Arrow: Farm Holidays
by weird-but-wonderful
Summary: Oliver has to spend his summer vacation at a lame farm with his sister and his mother. He meets a girl who maybe change his opinion about that holiday.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** This story takes place in an alternate universe. It started out to be a one-shot about Felicity and Oliver as teenager. While I wrote the first lines, more ideas came into my mind. So instead of a one-shot this has become a multi-chapter story. I've changed the age difference between Oliver and Thea, so it's more like five years. I've got the feeling, that especially Felicity and Oliver are out of character. So I'm sorry if it's too much.  
I don't have a beta, so every mistake is mine.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Arrow and don't make any money with this story.

* * *

 **Farm Holidays**

Oliver was 15 years old and he wanted to spend the summer with his best friend Tommy at the beach. But his mother had insisted that he went to lame Idaho with her and his sister on a summer vacation while his father had to work. So he left the company jet with Moira and Thea in Boise and entered a town car at the airport which drove them out of the city. Meanwhile Oliver looked out of the window and listened to some music over his ear buds. Despite the music he heard Thea's muffled babbling about the vacation. He loved his sister, but that moment she annoyed him with her happiness.

Oliver was just gone for two hours, but he already missed Starling City and his usual life. So he checked his mobile phone. He hadn't got any messages or missed any calls. Even Tommy hadn't tried to contact him although he had told him last night he wouldn't know what to do without his best buddy during the summer. A frustrated sigh escaped his mouth while Oliver shoved the phone back into his pocket. That moment Moira touched his knee slightly, so he pulled his right ear bud out and listened while she begged him again to enjoy the vacation. But he didn't show any further reaction. When she finally gave up, he put his ear bud back in and turned his attention at the landscape again.

An hour later the town car left the street and turned onto a drive way which led towards a farm. It reminded him of the Kent Farm from the Superman comics, which he had red as a kid. All buildings were timbered and paddocks were on both sides of the drive way. Between the buildings Oliver could see a garden with some lawn furniture and fields with crops and grass in the distance. It was quaint, too quaint. He couldn't believe he would spent the next three weeks here. That moment he wished even more to be back in Starling City.

The car finally stopped and they exited it. While the driver got the luggage out of the trunk a women in his mothers age and a girl his age walked up to them. Immediately Oliver noticed the dungarees and tank-tops both wore. Their look fitted to the whole setting of the farm, they looked like cowgirls. He had to admit that it didn't look bad on the young girl. So Oliver wondered how she would look in normal clothes. His thoughts were interrupted when the woman introduced herself as Amber Henderson and welcomed them to her farm. She smiled brightly while she continued her welcome speech and introduced her niece Felicity before she showed them their rooms in the residential building. Meanwhile Amber talked about the mealtimes and handed Moira a folder with some further information as well as the keys. Finally she said that Felicity would show them around before dinner. Oliver didn't really listen, he just waited until he could go into his room.

* * *

An our later the Queen family walked downstairs. Felicity awaited them already. Together they left the house. Immediately she started to talk about the farm. Oliver didn't pay any attention because he wouldn't do anything besides of staring at his phone and brooding over this stupid holiday while he was there. But he showed his faked happy face and padded after the three women with his hands deep in his pockets. Because of Thea's interest Felicity showed them the animals first, she even introduced them to her own horse Peabody, a white appaloosa with irregular dark dots, who came to the fence when she called him. Thea was already down on her knees and ripped some grass off, which she fed to the horse. Then Felicity led them into the stables and showed them all the other animals. At last they walked behind the house into the garden while she told them which crops her aunt cultivated.

Finally they made it back to the house where they ate dinner together. The grown ups had a polite conversation while Thea still babbled about the animals and especially the horses. She asked Felicity question upon question about Peabody, which she answered. Felicity even offered Thea a lesson in western riding because she was so excited. Meanwhile Oliver ate his food in silence and still showed his broody self. He didn't even bother to pretend a happy face anymore. When they had finished and went upstairs, Moira tried to talk to him again and wanted to guide him into the living room, but he went straight into his room without a word.

After he had closed his door, he took his phone and checked it again. Still nothing had changed, no calls and no messages. This time he dialed Tommy's number, who answered the phone after a while. Oliver could barely understand him, because the music in the background was very loud. His friend attended a beach party and Laurel, the girl he liked, was there. So he had no time and dismissed him after a few words. That didn't help to increase Oliver's mood, so he threw his mobile phone on the bed angrily and changed into a pair of sweatpants and a shirt. Then he let himself fell on the bed, put the ear buds of his MP3-player in and searched for some angry music, which reflected his mood.

* * *

Oliver woke up past midnight. The battery of his MP3-player had died, so he pulled the ear buds out. Then he got up and went downstairs, because he was thirsty. The kitchen was barely illuminated by the light of the open fridge. The door hit the person, who rummaged through the contents. Oliver cleared his throat. Instantly Felicity peeked around the door and smiled at him despite the late hour.

"Can I help you?" She asked friendly while she took a carton of orange juice out of the fridge and poured herself a glass. Oliver didn't reply anything and he didn't bother to fake anything at all, instead he looked at her closely. Her hair was down and she wore pajama bottoms and a short shirt which showed a small stripe of her pale belly. That moment he realized she was a real girl not the cowgirl he had got to know earlier. "Want some juice?" He didn't show any reaction. Nonetheless she got another glass out of the cupboard and filled it. Then Felicity switched on the light above the stove, before she returned the juice into the fridge. Finally she handed him his glass and sat down.

"Thanks." It was the first word he spoke that day while he took a seat at the small table in the kitchen. He didn't say anything else instead silence fell over them.

"So..." She looked at him closely before she continued. "You miss the city, right? I know the expression on your face. Every year a teenager has to accompany his family and hates being here." Oliver wondered how he looked. "You want to have fun and you can't imagine to experience it here." Felicity finally ended.

"Seems like I'm an open book to you." The anger, which had build up inside him during the day, suddenly surfaced. "Who wouldn't prefer a summer at the beach to some farming experience." The disappointment was visible on his face, he couldn't and wouldn't hide it. Everybody should know how he felt. "But don't think too much about it. It will be three quaint, boring weeks, then I'm gone." Oliver glared at her for a moment, then the anger vanished as fast as it had come. "But that's not your problem." A hiss escaped his mouth, before he put his fake face on. "Why are you here and obviously liking it here?" Although he just wanted to distract her attention from himself he was really interested in her answer. That was odd and he didn't understand it.

"I'm from Vegas." For a moment she hesitated. "And that doesn't explain why I'm here... My mom sends me to her sister every summer as long as I can remember. Usually it's just holiday but this year it's work. Hopefully I can afford a new laptop after the summer." Oliver didn't really understand that she had to work for a laptop, because he would get a new one whenever he wanted it. So he sipped on his juice instead of replying something. Finally she broke the silence. "But we've got another task. We should find something you like here, so you can enjoy your stay." Felicity held in. "I mean. You don't have to like it here, but it maybe makes the three weeks more bearable. Actually it will be great if you enjoy your stay here and get to know why I still love to come here every summer. So... I stop right now." A faint blush spread over her cheeks. "The teenagers are hanging out at a nearby lake and in the town is a really small cinema. Maybe that's a start?"

"We can try that." Oliver told her despite his mood. He had to admit that she tried everything to make something good out of this holiday. But he didn't want to show her, so he emptied his glass and got up. Then Oliver walked to the door and turned around. "Good night... And thank you." The last three words left his mouth unconsciously.

"You're welcome." Felicity returned and smiled again.

Then Oliver left the room and walked back upstairs. When he entered his bedroom, he didn't check his mobile phone and he didn't feel the need to listen to angry music instead he just lay on his bed until he fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's note:** Thank you for the clicks, the likes, the reviews, the followers and the favourites. It's been a long day and this is my little gift for the end of the workday and the start of a weekend. I still don't have a beta reader, so every mistake is mine. Have a nice reading. Feel free to comment afterwards.

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own _Arrow_ , but I love it.

* * *

For two days Oliver stayed his grumpy self to show his mother he wouldn't enjoy this. He barely left his room. Only the meals got him downstairs. Although Moira tried to talk to him again, he turned her down every time and kept for himself. Even Thea didn't manage to change his mood until the third morning. That day she woke him up, when she hopped on his bed in her riding clothes and immediately told him about Moira's migraine. Usually his mother didn't leave her room on these days, so he had to take care of his sister. Because of that Oliver got up freely and went into the bathroom. While he brushed his teeth he listened to Thea's talking about Peabody through the door. Obviously he should hurry up, so he took a quick shower and didn't hear his sister for the first time that morning. Finally he got dressed before he walked downstairs with her. Meanwhile she talked about the horse again. Oliver wondered where that girl got her energy from and why she was focused so much on one topic, because he never had such a huge interest in anything. If he wanted something, he would get it. When he had it, it would be boring immediately.

They went into the dining room together and sat down at the table. While he poured his sister and himself milk he listened to Felicity's swearing over some pancake-Armageddon and felt a smirk forming on his face. A few minutes later she entered the room and greeted them before she sat down at his side. Her frustration was obvious, so besides a greeting she didn't speak at all. Oliver already knew she preferred coffee in the morning, so he poured her a cup while Thea talked to Felicity about horses, riding and especially Peabody again like she had done at every meal before. Despite her own mood she gave his sister a genuine smile and talked to her.

Oliver was fascinated by her behavior because he wouldn't be nice to his sister when something wasn't going the way he wanted it. That moment he wished he was more like Felicity than himself, because he would just enjoy the time with the most important women in his life. So Oliver decided to emulate her. His thoughts were interrupted by Amber, who entered the room with a plate of pancakes in her hands. When she sat at the table, they started to eat. Immediately she asked Oliver where his mother was and he answered honestly. Oliver even tried to take part in the following conversation. That was the first change he had consciously done, because before he had barely said a word at the meals.

* * *

After breakfast he prepared a plate for his mother, brought it together with a cup of coffee into her room and placed it on the nightstand. Her eyes were closed, so he wasn't sure if she was sleeping or just resting. Oliver knelt down at her side for a moment and watched her. Although she was probably suffering, her face seemed kind of relaxed, but he didn't want to disturb her more than necessary. So her left her room fast.

* * *

Oliver went outside towards the riding ground and accompanied the two girls who were in the middle of Thea's riding lesson. His sister sat on Peabody and followed the instructions of Felicity who was walking by her side. He watched them from the other side of the fence. After a few more commands to Thea Felicity walked towards him. Again she showed him her wide smile before she stood at his side with her back to the fence.

"Have you ever been on a horseback?" She asked while she watched his sister, who worked on her own. Oliver shook his head, but he didn't say a word. After a while she continued. "You forget everything what's bothering you. It's freedom. The world looses its importance. I can't describe it. You have to feel it." Oliver watched her closely while she spoke and noticed the sparkle in her eyes. He had seen it before when she had talked about the laptop.

"That's more of a girl-thing. Isn't it?" His ego didn't want to be on a horse anytime soon. "Look at my sister. She's all into it and I don't understand it at all. I will never do that." For a moment both didn't say a word. Instead she sighed.

"You don't want to do a lot of things." She exclaimed while she turned. When she met his gaze, her her eyes went wide. "It shouldn't sound so harsh, but you don't want to do anything. You don't want to spend time with your family and you don't want to experience horse riding." For a brief moment she stopped her rant. "That's just you and not this place or your family. Your sister adores you and your mother wants to make it up to you, but you don't want to see it. Instead you spend two days in your room." Then Felicity turned her attention to his sister, who had called for her advice. So she walked over to her immediately. Meanwhile Oliver mulled over her words. Although he found her behavior inappropriate she could be right. When she returned, he wanted to say something, but she began to talk immediately. "I will go swimming today. Want to come?" Oliver slightly nodded.

"We have to take Thea with us because of mom's migraine." His sister could handle herself easily for a couple of hours, but he wanted her to have some fun too, although he would never admit that. "I won't leave her alone, that won't be fair to the horses." Oliver explained smirking.

"No problem." She looked at him and he held her gaze. "And I'm really sorry I've talked to you like that, but I couldn't stand it… you. The last two days were too much grumpiness." Again he thought about her words, when Thea called for her and she went over. His sister got down the horse. Then Felicity took the saddle off, afterwards his sister walked the horse towards the fence, racked it up and started to clean it. Meanwhile Felicity returned to him and placed the saddle on the fence, before she turned her attention at him again. "So... Promise me that there won't be a grumpy Oliver today?" A smile was on her face when she asked him.

"I can't promise that, but I'll try my best." Felicity still smiled although the answer couldn't be the one she wanted. Then Thea walked towards them with the cleaning basket in one hand and the reins of Peabody in the other. Immediately Oliver asked her if she wanted to go swimming today. She nodded excitedly and left the basket by them before she walked Peabody back to the paddock while Oliver's attention returned to Felicity. "How do we get there?"

"I've got something in mind." A wide grin spread on her face. Then she took the saddle as well as the cleaning basket and followed Thea. While Oliver walked back to the house he wondered what she was planning.

* * *

After lunch Oliver went into the room of Moira with another meal. The curtains were still closed, but her eyes were open. Carefully he asked her about her condition and was relieved she was already feeling slightly better. So he handed her the plate and asked her to eat something because the breakfast stood still untouched on the night stand. While she ate some of the vegetable soup he apologized for his behavior during the last days. She accepted it and smiled at him. Then she continued to eat and he sat by her side the whole time. Meanwhile he wondered who he had become, because he hadn't been like this forever. His family was the most important thing for him he was aware of that, but he hadn't shown it to them. So he wanted to change. Oliver sat at her side and told her about Thea's riding lesson as well as the planned swim in the afternoon until she had finished the plate. Then he left her alone so she could rest some more.

* * *

In the afternoon the Queen siblings met with Felicity at the veranda in front of the house. Oliver was used to her cowgirl style during the day, but he was surprised every time when he saw her in common clothes. Felicity wore a pair of dark blue shorts and a fitted white t-shirt. The pink bikini-top was faintly visible through the fabric. Although he noticed all these things, her friendly smile caught his attention and he had to return it. Then she led them down towards the paddock. A bewildered look spread on Oliver's face, so he wanted to ask her about the transportation. But he didn't have to, because they already stood in front of two saddled horses. Felicity explained that she and Oliver rode on her horse while Thea rode on the other one named Buttercup. Immediately he disliked it but he didn't say anything because she had a pleased look on her face which was kind of cute. And he didn't want to be the reason that the look vanished from her face.

"At least try it. I'll be with you." Felicity whispered, so only he could hear it. He nodded and waited for her instructions. She handed her backpack to Thea, when she sat on the horse. Afterwards Felicity got up on Peabody herself before she walked him to the fence. "Climb up there." Oliver did as he was told. Then she held a hand towards him and helped him up. Finally the horse started to move slowly. "Hold on to me all the time." She told him while they rode in slow pace. So he put his hands barely on her waist. An escaping laugh and a slight shake of her head indicated something was wrong before she took his right hand with hers and pressed it to her waist and did the same with his other. Then Oliver hold onto her as she had told him before. A few seconds later she changed from walk into trot. "Everything okay?" Felicity asked.

"I'm fine." Oliver reassured her.

They kept the pace and were followed by Thea. While they had rounded the paddock once he hadn't said anything. Then Felicity opened the gate from the horseback and let his sister pass it, then they followed her and she closed it again. They rode over fields and farm tracks. She changed the pace regularly, she even galloped with him a short distance. Although he wasn't into riding in the first place he enjoyed it. Actually it was more like she had told him in the morning. So Oliver just felt the slight breeze of a sunny summerday and her under his hands. He wasn't sure why he noticed her so clearly.

It didn't take them long until they arrived at the lake. Lots of teenagers and kids were there. Felicity and Thea secured the horses in the shadow of a tree, filled the buckets, which were standing there, with water from the lake and placed them in front of the animals. Then they looked for a place for themselves. It was close to the shore, a quiet place. When they had spread their towels on the ground they undressed quickly and went into the water. The water felt cold at first, so he swam a few strokes to get warm again. Then he grabbed his sister and threw her into the water. A shriek escaped her mouth. When she came up again, she swam towards him and tried to make him dive under too, but he was too strong. So Thea had no chance. Instead she started to splash water at him. Both laughed a lot. Then he communicated silently with her to go after Felicity. They went towards her at the same time and even managed to dive her under. Then they splashed each other with water, dived and swam for a while. Finally Thea had enough and left the water.

"Are you up for a competition?" Felicity asked him while an innocent smile was visible.

"What's on your mind?" Oliver asked curiously.

"Who's first at the other side of the lake." While she spoke she pointed towards Thea who already sat on her towl.

"Sure. But what's the prize?"

"I'll teach you how to ride."

"Okay." A bewildered look spread on his face. "I told you that I'm not a huge fan of this girl-thing. Didn't I?" He asked, before he told her his offer. "Because I don't know what we can do here beside of this." His index finger went into the water. "And the movie theater you've told me about, I would invite you to a movie." Oliver suggested.

"That's a deal. So on the count of three." Both got into position. "One. Two. Three."

With the last word he jumped head first into the water, dived for some time before he broke through the surface and swam the crawl. She wasn't ahead of him, so she was either still diving or had fallen behind. Oliver just sped up more, because he wanted to win. But then he saw her break through the surface ahead of him, so he tried to be faster than he already was and fought until he arrived at the finish. Felicity was awaiting him with a smirk on her face while she made a fist bump.

"So the movies it will be." The smirk turned into a grin while she spoke. Oliver didn't reply anything instead he showed his fake happy face and nodded, because his ego didn't like to loose. So he left the water and went towards his towel. Thea wasn't there anymore, she talked to another girl at the shore. Then he saw Felicity walking up to him. He lay down on his back, so he didn't have to look at her. When she looked at him from above, Oliver had no chance to ignore her. "There's your old grumpy face again although you have been happy before." She stated and pointed at him while drops of water from her wet hair and body landed on him. Although he was annoyed at that moment, he noticed the drops clearly. "I've assumed you've left your grumpy self back at the farm, but now your in that stupid mood again. Is it because I won?" Felicity asked him. "Probably because of that. Actually your are nicer than I've assumed at first. But going back to the beginning is no help." She told him her opinion again and Oliver asked himself why she cared so much about him and his moods. Usually his family and his best friend, really everybody, accepted his faked faces. Felicity was different to everybody in his life. She saw through him and his fake personality.

While Oliver thought about her she sat down at his side on her towel and looked at him. Than she grabbed her backpack and handed him a bottle of lemonade and opened a pack of cookies. They spend some silent time together, while the sun dried their skin and hair. He even sat up and locked his gaze with hers, when the memory of his bruised ego started to fade. His little sister interrupted them, when she returned and sat down on her own towel. Thea suggested to start silly childhood games like 'I spy with my little eye' and 'I'm going on a trip'. When they didn't know anymore games they invented new ones. They laughed a lot.

Before they had to return to the farm they went into the water a second time. This time they really swam their rounds and didn't play at first. But Oliver had too much fun to mess with the girls, so he dived under and pulled Felicity under the surface. When she got up again her hair was sprawled all over her face and she laughed before she tried to do the same to him, but she failed. So she tried another way and pressed herself with all her strength against him until he gave in and let himself fall backwards into the water. Then it was Thea's turn, so he caught her and threw her into the water again. All of them laughed lightheartedly.

Three boys came to them who knew Felicity from her yearly holidays. They insisted on playing some water games. So they clustered two teams. Felicity played together with two boys and Thea and Oliver with the third boy. It was a simplified version of water ball. Oliver was distracted a lot, when he noticed a guy of her team hitting on Felicity whenever possible. So he didn't catch the ball too often. Because of that Thea asked him to be more alert. Then he concentrated more on the game than the girl-boy-thing in the other team. The teams were on the same level, so no one really won. Although Oliver was very competitive and wanted to win in the beginning, he didn't mind at all, because it was just pure fun.

When it was time to get back, they left the water and began to change their wet swim clothes to their normal ones. Oliver closed his pair of jeans, when he saw Felicity's small, bare back. For a moment his gaze lingered at her pale skin, before he turned around and talked to his little sister until the other girl stood fully dressed at his side. Together they went back to horses, got up again and rode back. Meanwhile he tried not to think to much about Felicity who sat in front of him again. It didn't really work.

* * *

Oliver and Thea went to their mother after dinner. Moira had left the bed and sat on an armchair when they entered. While Thea told her mother about all the stuff they did during the day, Oliver just watched her closely. She looked better than before. He was relieved, because he didn't like his family members to suffer. When his sister had ended her speech, his mother suggested some family activity for the following day. She wanted to go back to Boise. A town car for the next day was already ordered. Amber had handed her some prospects of the city, so her children could look up what they would like to do. Because she wasn't completely fit, they left her after half an hour.


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's note:** Thank you for your support. This is a really short chapter, but I wanted to write some family time. I've got the feeling that Oliver is totally out of character in this chapter, but I wanted him this way. I have no beta, so every mistake is still mine. Enjoy the chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own _Arrow_ , but I love it. :)

* * *

The town car picked the family up before breakfast. So they ate the first meal of the day in a fancy restaurant in the city. That remembered Oliver on their usual life in Starling City. Although Raisa fed them most times, they regularly ate at restaurants and at functions too. After they had ordered Thea held her daily speech about riding and horses which didn't annoy him. Then they planned their day. When they were done with that his mother asked him what he had experienced so far. So Oliver told her about the swimming and the horse riding yesterday, because he hadn't more to tell until that moment. His nightly talk to Felicity was none of her business. He wasn't quite sure why he didn't want to share that. Finally they talked about common things, nothing particularly.

The first thing on the agenda for the day was shopping. Oliver didn't want anything, he had already made that clear during breakfast, but his mother and his sister were in their element. While Thea was in changing room and tried on some clothes his mother looked at the displayed clothes and he walked through the shop bored. His gaze wandered over the displayed clothes and spotted a short, bright red dungaree. Immediately Oliver thought of Felicity who he had seen in colourful clothes as well as in dungarees. He didn't have much time to think about it, because Thea was walking towards him when she left the changing room. When she was only a few steps away she abruptly changed her way and went directly towards the dungaree he had spotted before. She squealed in delight when she found her size and returned to the changing room. Meanwhile Oliver followed her and was accompanied by Moira. It didn't take long until the young girl left the room dressed like a cowgirl. She turned around in front of her family and told them how much she loved it and wanted it, because then she would look like Felicity. So Moira bought the dungaree and a white tank top to complete the look like Thea had explained. Then they left the shop and went into the next. The rest of the morning was spent in one shop after another and Oliver had to carry all the shopping bags which got more and more. He really didn't understand this girl-thing at all and he couldn't even compare it to the horse riding experience, because he had liked that in the end.

Oliver was happy when they were done at lunchtime. He handed the shopping bags to the driver, who put them into the trunk of the car before they looked for a restaurant. Oliver had noticed a Big Belly Burger while they had been at clothe hunting. So he begged his mother to go there instead of the fancy place Moira had chosen. His little sister was excited about that idea too, so Moira gave in and he directed them back. It wasn't their usual food because of that they ordered a lot more than they could eat. They wanted to try the different dishes. But before they even started Oliver and Thea laughed heartily when Moira tried to eat a burger with a fork and a knife. It took a while until they convinced her to use her hands. Finally they enjoyed their lunch together.

Afterwards Oliver wasn't in the mood for a museum or an art gallery, so he suggested a walk. The prospect had shown a nice route along the river and through Pierce Park. The others liked his idea, so they started their walk. Luckily they all wore comfortable shoes. They enjoyed the sun and the heat of the summer while they walked along a part of the hiking trail. They met a few hikers and other tourists. But most of the time they were for themselves. Meanwhile they planned the rest of their holiday, enjoyed the view and finally walked in comfortable silence. They ended at a parking lot where Moira called the driver, so he could pick them up.

While they drove back they didn't talk to each other. Oliver was exhausted and he assumed the other two felt the same. So he just looked at the landscape and recalled the day. Oliver thought that he could enjoy this holiday after all, although he had liked the activities only partly, but he had enjoyed spending time with his family. The weird thing was that he changed his point of view shortly after he had met a girl who made everything look so simple. That moment he wanted to share his experiences with her, wanted to tell her that he hadn't been grumpy all day, actually he just wanted to talk to her. That confused him.

Although he didn't understand what was going on with him he looked immediately for Felicity when the car turned into the driveway and drove towards the farm. Oliver didn't see her instead he noticed his mother's look on him and her heartily smile. He returned her smile. Her gaze stayed at him after that while she didn't say a word. That confused him even more, so Oliver left the car fast when it came to a hold and ran directly into Felicity at the entrance door, because he hadn't paid attention.

"Hey." She greeted him smiling.

"Felicity... Hi." Oliver replied, before he realized who he was talking to. "I'm sorry."

Then he walked past her without another word and nearly ran up the stairs into his room. He closed the door behind him and let himself fall onto the bed. Again he wondered what was happening with him, when he heard the muffled voices of his sister and her. They talked about colourful dungarees which they would be wearing tomorrow. Oliver needed some music that moment.

* * *

 **Author's note:** Feel free to write a comment.


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry this chapter took so long. Still all mistakes are mine. Enjoy the reading.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Arrow but I love it.

* * *

Heavy raindrops hit the window of Oliver's room when he woke up. He got up and glanced out of the window. It had been raining for a while, because the soil outside had turned to mud. If it kept steady, they would stuck to indoor activities and Oliver wasn't in the mood for another shopping marathon. Because of that he took his time to get ready for the day. The Queen woman didn't make any noise, so he assumed that they were already downstairs, where he finally went. Oliver accompanied them as well as Amber and Felicity at the breakfast table. Immediately she held the basket with the bread rolls towards him. While he took it their fingers touched slightly and he felt a tingling sensation. An unconscious grin spread on his face. Then Oliver noticed the gaze of his mother on him and a faint blush rose in his cheeks. He didn't know what to do, so he started to prepare his bread roll and looked at it instead of the other people at the table.

When they finally ate Amber informed them about an upcoming storm, which should hit their area in the early afternoon. Because of that she recommended them to stay at the farm. They could borrow books, movies or boardgames from her to get through the day. Afterwards she told Felicity her chores. Oliver was fascinated by Amber's efficiency, she reminded him of his father who handled his company the same way. His thoughts were interrupted, when his mother offered to help. Oliver was surprised because he had never imagined her to work with her hands and especially at a farm. But Amber declined her offer, so he wouldn't see that. Then she emptied her coffee in a quick move and got up. Before she left the room, she told Felicity to follow her as soon as she was done in the house. Moira and Thea walked upstairs only minutes later, because his sister wanted to call their father. Meanwhile Felicity started to clean up the table. Instead of following his family he stayed back.

"Can I help you?" He asked her.

"I appreciate your offer, but Amber won't like it. You are her guest and a guest doesn't have to do anything."

"But it would be rude of you to decline my offer. You've more work to do today." A professional look was on his face like he had seen it on his parent's faces on official occasions. "I won't negotiate this." His playful British accent was a perfect imitation of Walter Steele but Oliver returned to his usual way of talking immediately. "When you get your work done fast you can maybe safe a teenage boy from boredom." He showed her his brightest smile.

"Okay, you can help me, but it has to stay between us." Felicity finally gave in, while a grin showed on her face.

Then she took the tablet, where she had put the food on, while they had talked and brought it back to the kitchen. Oliver collected the plates and the cutlery and followed her, then he walked back and got the glasses and the cups. She was already placing the food in the fridge as well as in the cupboard beside it. The door of the dishwasher was open and the drawers were pulled out. He put the last dishes on top of the machine and put the glasses and cups in the bottom drawer and the cutlery in the basket. But the plates didn't fit into the top drawer and in the bottom drawer was no place left for them. Although Oliver didn't know anything about dishwashers, he knew he had done it wrong. Although Raisa had shown him to prepare a descent meal, he had never cleaned up afterwards. So a sigh escaped his mouth.

"You haven't done that before." She stated immediately and went to him. Oliver wondered why she didn't show any reaction. Felicity didn't even make fun of him, which he had expected. "It's simple. Put the glasses and the cups in the top drawer and the plates down here." While she explained it to him, her right hand pointed into the direction. "The cutlery is already in the right place." Before she walked back to the other room to get the last items, she gave him a reassuring smile. Meanwhile he did what she had told him. Then she returned to kitchen and showed him a thump-up and smiled at him again. "Thank you." He simply smirked at her and turned towards the door.

"See you later." Oliver told her before he went upstairs to accompany his family.

* * *

Shortly before noon the Queen family sat in their living room. The rain had increased and was hitting even harder against the window, while the wind had started to beat more. Thea sat close to her mother, who comforted her and red a book to her. While Oliver listened to the radio, which only reported about the storm. A knock on the door startled him, then he got up and opened the door. Felicity stood in front of him.

"Is everything okay?" She asked. Before he answered, he looked back at his mother and his sister, who didn't pay any attention to the door and shook his head.

"I guess my sister is scared." Oliver studied the face of Felicity, but she didn't seem to be concerned.

"There is nothing to worry about. Yes, it's a storm, but it will go away. Nothing serious." For a moment Felicity looked into the room. "I've finished my shores. How about you're coming downstairs with your family. You wanted to be saved from boredom. We can try that and maybe we can distract your sister from the weather." She suggested.

"Wait a second." Oliver walked back to his family and told them about Felicity's offer. At first Moira didn't want to be a burden, but Thea convinced her mother to give it a try with her big Bambi-eyes. While his family got up and switched off the radio, he returned to Felicity. "We're coming." They went downstairs together and followed Felicity.

The grand living room of the house was cozy. A big, comfy couch awaited them. Bookshelves were all around the room and held books, DVDs and boardgames. Oliver hadn't imagined this, because she seemed like she was as an all about work. The TV was already on, a news-channel showed the weather forecast of the area. Immediately Felicity took the remote and muted the sound. She offered them a seat and told them to feel like home. While they sat down, she fetched a book from on of the shelves and handed it Oliver with a big grin all over her face. He looked at the cover and had to grin too because it was a book about swimming.

Finally Felicity excited the living room and returned a few minutes later with a tray in her hands. She placed a teapot, mugs, cool drinks, glasses and a jar with cookies on the table. Then she took a small bag of the tray and turned to Thea. Felicity offered her to do some hair styles and the younger girl loved the idea. So Felicity took a stool and placed it in front of the couch, where she sat down. Afterwards Thea placed herself in front of her and she started with an easy french braid. Although Oliver had opened the book, he didn't read it, instead he glanced at the two girls, who giggled a lot. Meanwhile Moira poured herself some tea.

During the next two hours the girls tried different hairdos, Thea worked on Felicity's hair too. When they had no more ideas, they started to use Felicity's nail polish. Thea ended up with a different colour on every finger, while Felicity chose a bright green. Finally his sister went towards Oliver, who hadn't red in the book at all and had watched the girls instead the whole time. Thea wanted to paint his pinky in an emerald green. She told him that it was his colour. So he gave in and held his hand out to his sister. Thea's mind was lost in the task, so she hadn't noticed the thunders and flashes outside. Felicity owned all the credit for this, so he was grateful, although she hadn't saved him from boredom.

Felicity suggested his sister to prepare some sandwiches and snacks for her and her family. So Thea followed her happily into the kitchen while Oliver stayed back with his mother. Finally he gave the book a closer look although he wasn't a big fan of reading. After a few minutes he knew that a book about swimming was worse than everything he had to read so far. So Oliver placed the book on the coffee table. Meanwhile he noticed his mother was watching him. He held her gaze for a moment before he got up, took the book and walked towards the bookshelf. Oliver searched for something he could enjoy and would occupy him. His eyes landed on the newest Harry Potter which he already partly knew because he red it to his sister at home at some nights. So he took the book and returned to the couch.

* * *

When the girls returned with a huge amount of snacks which would be enough for a soccer team, he was already lost in the story. Oliver barely noticed them because he wanted to know how the story went on. He only looked up, because Felicity let herself fall down on the couch at his side.

"That doesn't look like a swim instruction." She lifted the book up and looked at the title. " _Harry Potter._ " Felicity exclaimed. "I love those books. _The Order Of The Phoenix_ is the greatest so far." Her finger went to the book again and tapped slightly against it. "Do you read it for the first time?" She asked, the curiousness was clearly noticeable. "I mean it was just released a few weeks ago and I've already red it three times. I love Hermine, she is so cool although she's a nerd and Ron is such a funny boy." His gaze met hers while a small smile got visible on his face. That moment the only word he had in mind for her was cute. "And you haven't had a chance to answer my question because I don't shut up. So feel free to share your thoughts with me." Then she stopped and smiled at him too.

"I haven't red much yet, barely half of the book. but I like Snape since the first novel. He's dark, mysterious and seems to be the good bad-guy at the moment. I'm not quite sure what will happen with him but I'm absolutely sure that he's one of the good characters in the end. It will probably take some time until we know the truth about his intentions. I can't say I'm a huge fan of Hermine, but her character is really important for the boys. They would be helpless without her. And I agree that Ron is just... Ron. But I don't like Harry, although the books are named after him, but he is… I don't know how to describe it." Abruptly Oliver stopped his ramble when he realized he was talking about a child-book. He wasn't a child anymore, so it was absolutely not the right side to show about himself in front of Felicity. "Well, it's just a book." He closed the book, shrugged it off and put it down at the coffee table. Meanwhile he met his mother's gaze. Oliver looked away hastily and got up to take a snack from the plate. Silently he ate a few bites, then he sat down again. He made sure to have some space between him and Felicity. "That's a great sandwich."

"Thanks." Immediately a faint blush spread on her cheeks. It was the cutest thing he had ever seen. A small smile got visible on his face. "They are the only thing I've made. Thea made all the other goods, she should be a chef someday. I'm definitely in love with the small pies. You should try them." While she talked he looked at his sister, who was sitting on Moira's lap.

Oliver took a pie and was overwhelmed. It was really tasty. He didn't know his sister could do these things. But it wasn't a big surprise either because they both had been fed by Raisa all their life. He had learned some basics, it seemed like Thea went a lot of steps further with it. While Oliver told her how great they were he picked up the book from the coffee table again. He didn't say another word, because he felt strange in Felicity's presence. Oliver couldn't name that feeling, he had never felt it before. The best way to avoid feelings was to distract himself by doing something else. So Oliver opened the book and wanted to read it.

"I think, I've got the first one on DVD somewhere. We could watch it." Felicity exclaimed, so he had to look up from the book. He didn't say a word, but he noticed his sister who was already on her way to the couch. It was obvious she wanted to watch that movie. Because of that Oliver nodded and placed the book on the table again. Meanwhile Felicity was already on the way to the shelve behind the couch. Oliver moved into the corner of the couch. Then he padded on the seat at his left side and held his arm up, so his sister sat down there and leaned against him. All that happened purposely because he wanted to avoid the closeness to Felicity who put the DVD in and got down beside Thea with the remote in her hand. "You've got everything you need?" She asked. Nobody answered, so Felicity started the movie.

* * *

When the movie was over Felicity sat on one end of the couch and Oliver on the other. Thea laid between them, she had fallen asleep during the movie. Meanwhile Moira had left the room, because she wanted to read her book. The snoring of his sister filled the room when Felicity shut off the TV. Oliver threw small glances every now and then towards her. For a while they in a comfortable silence.

"Thank you." He said finally, but he didn't dare to look at her.

"You're welcome. I've enjoyed spending time with her, with you… your family." Oliver turned towards her and immediately noticed the smile on her face. For a moment he thought about what to say. "I..."

He couldn't finish the sentence because his sister woke up and immediately asked why the TV was shut off. Oliver just explained it her, when Amber entered the room and announced that dinner was ready. Together they walked to the dining room where Moira already awaited them. They ate some noodles with tomato-sauce. Amber informed them that the storm had died down. Then she told Felicity that she needed her help after dinner because she wanted to start cleaning up. Then they had their usual conversation at the table which Oliver didn't really follow. Instead he glanced at Felicity every other moment, he couldn't stop it. The other time he held his gaze at his plate.

After dinner he followed his family upstairs, but he didn't went to the living room with them. Instead he walked into his bedroom with the Harry Potter book and red it until he fell asleep with the book on his chest.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Let me know what you think about it. Enjoy the rest of the weekend.


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** I know I'm worse at updating soon. I'm sorry it takes me forever. I still don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. Have fun. Feel free to leave a review. Enjoy the new Episode tonight.

 **Disclaimer:** I don't own Arrow but I love it.

* * *

The next morning after breakfast the Queen family helped cleaning up. Amber hat declined the offer at first again but Moira had insisted this time. Despite the head start of Felicity and her aunt the former night there was still lots of work to do. The sun was already shining brightly while the dirt on the veranda and on the house as well as other remnants of the storm were clearly visible. The family started together cleaning the veranda until Amber asked Oliver to help her niece. So he walked around the house and towards her. Felicity collected the things which could still be used when he arrived. Immediately Oliver started to collect the litter. They worked separately and silently for a while. He had already collected some tree-branches as well as other things and put them in a trash-bin at a nearby shed. At the same place Felicity collected her stuff to clean it later.

He was on his way again with arms full of trash when he suddenly heard her squealing and walked back to her fast. For a second he looked at her before a smirk spread over his face, because she stood in front of him completely drenched from top to bottom because the connection between the sprinkler and the water hose had burst. The water was still running out of the hose which she still held in her hand.

"Not funny." Felicity exclaimed while he stepped closer to her still smirking.

"That's your opinion." He looked at her from top to bottom and back up. His gaze lingered too long at her breasts, because her bra got visible through the wet, white t-shirt she wore. That sight distracted him. Although he had seen her in her bikini, this was a different sight and he liked what he saw. He didn't have the chance to dwell on the look because a spray of cold water hit him that moment out of the water hose which Felicity pointed at him.

"Do you need to cool off?" She asked. "I like helping." Felicity stated and pointed towards his face grinning.

Oliver didn't react towards her words, he was slightly embarrassed. He closed the distance because he wanted to turn off the water, but Felicity didn't let that happen because she kept the spray at him and laughed heartily. So instead of turning it off, he tried to get the hose out of her hands and wanted to direct the water at her. But Felicity wriggled herself out of Oliver's hold and giggled. For a few seconds he admired the sound until he noticed that he stood directly in front of her. So he directed the water spray on the ground. Then he took a loose strand of her ponytail with his free hand and shoved it behind her ear. Oliver felt her shiver when his fingers brushed her skin. A smile was all over his face and he moved his face closer to hers because he had the sudden urge to kiss her.

The same moment he heard the voice of Thea and jumped away from Felicity. His young sister wanted to be play the game the teenager's played and went for the hose herself. Thea didn't ask any question about them instead she just sprayed water at them and got drenched herself too. Meanwhile he wondered what had nearly happened only moments before. But he hadn't the time to dwell on his thoughts too long because he was in the middle of an epic water-fight. Easily he took the water-hose out of Thea's hands and held it over her like a shower. His sister couldn't do anything against it because she was a lot smaller than him. But Felicity came to support her because the height-difference wasn't that big between Oliver and her. She got hold of his arm and pulled at it until she got the control back. Then she directed the spray at him again.

They were interrupted by Moira who asked directly why they weren't working. Oliver told her that the sprinkler was damaged and he wanted to repair it. Because of that they were soaking wet. He didn't have an explanation why his little sister was drenched too. But he didn't need one because his mother didn't believe his first explanation at all. Immediately Moira told him to help her and his sister with the cleaning, so Felicity was able to do her work instead of playing silly games with him. Reluctantly Oliver followed his mother meanwhile he glanced back at Felicity with an apologetic smile on his face.

* * *

After the work in the morning Amber had told them to enjoy the afternoon. So the Queen family had decided to spend a lazy afternoon in the garden. Moira red a book and Thea some magazines. Meanwhile he sunbathed. His eyes were closed, although he was wearing sunglasses. Oliver was close to fall asleep, when he heard Felicity's muffled ranting in the distance. So he got up, put the glasses down on the table and followed her voice to a shed. For a moment he stood at the entrance and watched her. Felicity stood at the side of a tractor. The hood was up. Her hands and arms as well as her clothes were smeared with grease.

"You stupid old thing." She spoke in a louder voice than usual before she throw the spanner onto the ground, when he walked up to her. He took the tool from the ground and looked inside the motor compartment.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"If I knew, I would already be on it." The annoyance was clearly noticeable in her voice. "But that's not your fault. I can disassemble a computer and assemble it back together again, I even write my own programs. But this stupid, old tractor doesn't tell me what's wrong." Felicity sighed. "Amber wants to sell it, because the tractor hasn't worked for a while now, but I love it. When I spend my first holiday here as a six year old girl, she took me on a ride with it to the town where we ate ice cream together. I've learned driving on it two years ago. It can't go, it's a memory. I know, it's stupid, but..."

Although he listened to every word he already took a look at the engine and tried different things his father had shown him. When he was younger his father had repaired old cars which he collected together with him. Oliver had enjoyed these days, because his father had spend time with him. In this rare times the company and everything related to it hadn't been important to his father, at least it had seemed so to Oliver. Instead of thinking about it he concentrated even more on the task ahead and noticed that he didn't know what Felicity had talked about while he worked.

"Sorry. What did you say." Oliver turned his attention back at her. A grin was on her face.

"Where have you been?" She asked.

"Childhood memories." For a moment he thought about the next words. "My dad showed me how to repair cars when I was younger." While he spoke he kept on working at the engine and didn't look at her.

"You haven't spoken about him until now." From the corner of his eye he saw how her hand flew up to her mouth.

"He's working much. That's the reason, why he couldn't come with us." His hands were deep inside the machine. "Could you look for a screw driver and some oil?" Immediately Felicity bend down towards the toolbox. Then she handed him the tool, which he used straightaway. Afterwards he put some oil inside the engine.

"My dad left us when I was seven years old and mom works very hard to make everything possible for me. But some things are too expansive. That's the reason I'm working here to get a new laptop." Every now and then he looked at her to show her that he still listened. "It's a 7T56M and it's really gorgeous. I just described a laptop as gorgeous. I am not as weird as I must seem to you." Felicity laughed. "But computers are my world. So actually that tractor shouldn't be such hard work for me, but it is. And it isn't just stupid, it's stubborn too." Meanwhile Oliver returned from the depths of the engine.

"You can try to start it." He told her, while he cleaned his hands on an already smeared cloth. Meanwhile Felicity got into the seat. She turned the key and for the first seconds nothing happened. Oliver heard her sigh while she gave it a second chance. At first the motor just made strange noises, but it started this time. Immediately Oliver noticed her fist which raised in the air again and an unconscious grin spread on his face.

"You did it." She hopped down from the still running tractor and high-fived him. "Thank you. Wanna go for a ride." He nodded.

"We should clean up before and I've to tell mom."

"Up for another swim?" Felicity suggested and he simply nodded. "Meet me in 15 minutes in front of the house." Again he nodded and returned to his family.

* * *

His mother and sister hadn't changed their places. Both were still reading, but they looked at him, when he stood in front of them. Promptly he noticed the bewildered look on his mother's face who made him aware of his appearance. Then she asked him what he had done. Before he could explain himself, she told him to clean himself up because it was inappropriate. That moment Oliver hated to be raised in house where a boy couldn't be dirty. Everything had to be perfect at every time. But he knew it wasn't her fault, their family name and their way of life was the reason. So he just told her that he was going to change and would go for a swim afterwards.

He rejected Thea who wanted to come with a lame excuse. Oliver didn't know why he did that, but something inside him wanted to spend time with Felicity alone. The disappointment in Thea's gaze was clearly visible. He hadn't intended to hurt her, but he knew she was. So he smiled at her and promised to make it up while he rumpled her hair up. Immediately she started to scream and tried to put it in order again. His smile turned into a grin, because he knew she didn't like it at all. Then he excused himself and walked inside.

* * *

The running tractor with Felicity in the driver seat was already waiting for him in front of the entrance. She had changed her clothes and cleaned up like himself, so they just went to swim for the fun. She showed him her usual smile while he got onto the spare, uncomfortable seat on the fender. A small railing was around his back. When she started to drive he had to hold onto that railing. It wasn't comparable to any kind of vehicle he had been in or on before, even the old cars of his father were more comfortable than this. But it was fun. The noise of the engine was loud, so they didn't speak at all.

Felicity drove a different way this time. He took his surroundings in. Although this vacation wasn't comparable to the comforts of the city he began to like it. But Oliver wasn't sure if it really was the area or if it was one person. So he watched her instead of anything else. The sunlight was caught by her ponytail which bounced up and down. A smile was forming on his lips, which he couldn't suppress. When she turned around to look at him that moment, she smiled back at him. Everything seemed to be easy when he was with her. He didn't care about anything else. That moment the lake came into view and she slowed down already and stopped the tractor. They got down and walked towards the shore. Oliver didn't want to go swimming immediately, so he just sat down on the grass. She had obviously no intention to do the same. Instead she rushed out of her clothes and went into the water.

Felicity swam a few strokes and waved towards him to follow her. But he just shook his head and watched her while she was swimming. The boy who had hit on her the other day followed her and finally closed up to her. Oliver just saw the back of their heads, but something didn't feel right. That feeling increased when they turned and he saw her face. Felicity didn't show her happy face anymore and the guy swam too close to her. Her lips moved and he could only imagine what she said, but it didn't look like nice words. So he got up and undressed quickly. Then he went into the water and started to swim to them. Immediately he saw her light up slightly and he grinned at her. When he reached them, he swam just into the middle of both and greeted the guy with his fake happy face. Then his attention turned to Felicity immediately.

"You haven't told me your secret." Oliver stated and met the curious eyes of her. "I still don't know why you are such a good swimmer." He ignored the guy at his left side completely although he started to talk. Instead he concentrated on her.

"I'm part of the swim-team at my school. Last year we've won the championships." She told him while the other guy tried to talk to her over Oliver's back. She just looked at Oliver.

"That wasn't a fair competition." He exclaimed smirking. Meanwhile the guy finally gave up and swam away. The relief was all over her face.

"Nope." Felicity looked into his eyes before she turned her head back and swam a few strokes. She didn't say a word about the other boy and he didn't ask any questions about him. It seemed to be a silent understanding, so they didn't talk at all for a while. He just swam at her side across the lake. "So..." She finally talked again and he looked at her immediately. Her face didn't give away anything. "There's a really competent teacher around here who would love to show a newbie how to ride a horse." She told him while she locked her gaze with his.

"Well, who that newbie might be?" Oliver asked innocently, but he couldn't suppress a grin.

"I don't know." A grin was on her face too. "Maybe you?" Oliver didn't reply a word, instead he waited for her next words. "What do you think about it? I guess, you enjoyed our ride to the lake, at least you haven't complained about it. So I thought..." Felicity looked into his eyes. "I mean, you don't have to. It was just an idea." Oliver grinned at her.

"You can try to teach me." Oliver swam a few strokes ahead of her and turned around to swim on his back. "But I'm not the best student."

Felicity didn't answer, instead she grabbed one of his feet and pulled herself closer. Then she dived him under. When he came up again, she laughed loudly. But he didn't gave her a chance to enjoy her triumph, because she was under water mere seconds later. It was his turn to laugh, when she broke through the surface and her hair was messed all around her head. So she dived under again to smooth them back. Although it was childish he started to splash water into her face and she did the same immediately. Then Oliver dived under and closed the distance to her under the surface. While he came up direct in front of her, he laid his hands on her hips and threw her away. She giggled and he enjoyed the easiness of being with her. They spent a lot of time with these games. Every time he was close to her and touched her, there was a weird feeling inside him, which he couldn't name. Finally they returned to swimming and she showed him, how to be faster. He knew he had no chance in a competition, but she swam in his pace the whole time.

Oliver didn't know how long they had been in the water, when they finally left it. Most of the other kids were already gone, so he watched at his clock. It was late and they had missed dinner. So they changed into their clothes quickly and went towards the tractor. Felicity tried to start the engine but it didn't work. They hadn't brought any tools, so they couldn't repair it. To top that they hadn't brought their mobile phones. Because of that Oliver wanted to ask the other kids for a phone but until then they were alone at the lake. So they had no other choice and had to walk back to the farm. Both shouldered their backpacks and started to walk.

They didn't talk during their walk, it wasn't awkward. Oliver was lost in his thoughts because she was at his side and every now and then their hands brushed against each other. Every time that happened he thought about taking it and holding it. He wanted to hold it. It was an urge he finally gave in when their hand touched the next time. He wondered what she would do. But nothing happened. Oliver held her hand and she let him do it. They disconnected their hands when they entered the house. That wasn't weird, it was something they did in silent understanding. The teenager's stopped in the hallway in front of the stairs.

"Good night, Felicity. It was a wonderful afternoon." He told her honestly.

"I enjoyed our time, too. Sleep well." Felicity walked towards the living room while he mounted the stairs. Before she entered the room she turned around once and met his gaze which was settled on her back the whole time. She waved slightly and he returned that gesture, before he finally walked upstairs.

* * *

His family sat in the living room, when he returned. While Thea watched a Disney movie, he looked at his mother, who wasn't in her best mood. When he sat down at her side, she asked him why he hadn't answered her five calls. She had been worried about him. Oliver just told her the story of his mobile phone. Then he sat down beside his sister and watched the movie together with her.


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** I'm sorry you've to wait so long for something new - again. It took me a while to figure out this chapter and I'm still not sure about it. Still no beta, so every mistake is mine. Enjoy this chapter.

 **Disclaimer:** I still don't own Arrow.

* * *

Oliver was the first one in the dining room the next morning and heard Felicity swearing in the kitchen again. It seemed to him like another pancake-Armageddon happened. Because he was early he walked into the kitchen this time. When he entered the room Amber stood at the stove and explained Felicity what she had done wrong. The remnants were still visible on a plate - a burned, disgusting mess. Oliver greeted them and both turned around. Despite her failure Felicity smiled at him while Amber wished him a good morning. Then she told Felicity to try it again and left the room with a tray full of food.

"Hey Grumpy." Felicity said and looked at him for a moment, then she returned her attention to the frying pan.

"Actually it's Oliver, little Miss Pangeddon." A smirk was on his face, when he walked up to her. "I will show you what Raisa has taught me. Welcome to your lesson in 'How to do a perfect pancake'." Oliver stopped at her side.

"Please show me your talents Mr. Grumpy." She made some space for him in front of the stove.

"One dipper of the dove is one pancake. Fill it into the frying pan when the oil has the perfect temperature and straight it out slightly but not too much." While he talked she followed his instructions. "Stop. That's the perfect size. Now you have to be patient and watch the pancake. It'll show you the perfect time to turn it around." Silently she stood at his side. "Do you see that." His index finger pointed to a spot at the edge and he felt her nod more than he saw it. "Turn it around." Oliver commanded and Felicity followed his instructions. Immediately a smile was plastered all over her face, because it didn't break and it wasn't burned. So she raised her fist into the air again like she had done the other day after their swim battle. It was cute, he thought. "It's perfect." He returned her smile. "And now you try it again without my guidance, but I will be at your side the whole time." Felicity grabbed the dipper and repeated the process again and the result was even better than before. That moment she turned towards him and threw her arms around his neck.

"You prevented the next pancake-Armageddon, my grumpy hero. Thank you." She told his shoulder because she didn't reach further up. Before he hadn't noticed how small she was compared to him. Oliver didn't want to stop their hug and waited for her to do it, but she didn't either. They broke apart when her aunt entered the kitchen again.

Felicity showed her the two pancakes proudly she had produced so far. While she talked to Amber about her victory Oliver walked into the dining room and took his usual place. Gladly his family wasn't there yet, so he didn't have to explain anything. He knew how curious his little sister was and where she got it from. But he didn't know what to do in the dining room all by himself. So Oliver went back to the kitchen with an empty plate in his hand while Felicity still produced pancakes and hummed a childish melody. He didn't want to interrupt her, he just took a pancake and put it onto the plate. Then he left the kitchen again and placed it on the table in front of her chair. Meanwhile his sister entered the room. Immediately he noticed her bewildered look. Oliver just wished her a good morning, but ignored her afterwards and sat down on his place again.

A few minutes later Amber and her niece accompanied them. Felicity placed a plate of pancakes in the middle of the table. Then she smiled thankfully at Oliver, before she sat down at his side and started to eat her first selfmade pancake. From the corner of his eye he watched her, but looked away immediately when he noticed his sister's look on him. Her mouth was wide open and the fork stopped half way to it. So he returned his attention to his own breakfast and didn't let himself be distracted by the girl at his side.

* * *

After breakfast it was time for Oliver's first riding lesson. So he went outside to the stables with Thea and Felicity. His sister was eager to accompany them. He would prefer to be alone while he would make a fool of himself but he couldn't withstand her. At first Felicity showed him how to prepare the horse. He already had to place the saddle and the bridle on the horse before Felicity explained him how to fasten it. The next morning he should do all that by himself but Felicity promised to be at his side the whole time. Finally she handed him the reins, so he could walk the horse to the paddock.

"Step 1: Mount the horse." Felicity told him before she put her left foot into the stirrup, pulled herself up and swung her right leg over the back of the horse. It seemed to be easy. "This will be your place from now on." She stated and got down again. Afterwords she took Peabody's reins in her hand and waited until the horse didn't move anymore. "Try to get up." She told him and he repeated her former movements. Oliver even came up but he didn't manage to get on the back of the horse at the first try. Because of that she handed Thea the reigns before she closed the distance to him. "You can do it." So he tried it again but he wasn't going to make it up the horse again. When he realized that, he already felt her hand at his feet. Felicity pushed him higher or maybe he just moved higher up by himself, but finally he swung his left leg over the back and sat on the horse. At first it scared him because he didn't have the feeling of control over the horse. "We'll walk for a while, so you get used to be on Peabody by yourself." She stated, took the reigns back from Thea and started to move together with the horse.

Oliver concentrated on Felicity and what she wanted to teach him. After a while he noticed the rhythm the horse dictated and followed it until Felicity directed them towards the fence and his sister. She took the longe from the fence and fastened it at the bridle. Then she returned to the middle of the paddock and let Peabody walk in a big circle around her. Oliver wasn't sure how long he sat on the horse when Felicity closed the distance to Peabody and him.

"That's enough for the first day." She told him while she held the reigns close to the horse's head, so he could get down. "You're talented." At the same time she detached the longe from the bridle.

"I doubt that. I just had to sit on the horse, you did all the work." He replied when he stood at her side. Meanwhile he watched his sister who mounted the horse easily and started to ride. Then he walked with Felicity to the fence.

"No, you really did good work. Rom wasn't build in a day, so give yourself a chance. We've got a lot of time. At the end of your holiday we - I mean, you and me - will ride to the lake on two horses." He felt reassured slightly but still wasn't satisfied with his work.

Oliver didn't talk anymore instead he watched his sister for a moment who sat gracefully on Peabody and looked far better on the horse than he probably had before. But he wasn't really focused on her because he already thought of another visit at the lake with Felicity. Nonetheless he tried to concentrate on his sister again but Oliver couldn't do that because his gaze slid to Felicity every now and then who was really cute. Sometimes she looked at him at the same time, then he grinned at her stupidly and looked back at his sister quickly. Oliver finally admitted to himself that he had a crush on her. There couldn't be another reason for all those feelings when he was close to and far away from her. He wasn't inexperienced, he had already kissed a few girls. It had always been part of a party-game, there were never feelings involved. That moment he would love to share that experience with Felicity and he expected that it would be different with her.

Oliver was pulled out of his musings when Amber came to them with a toolbox in her hand and asked her niece to go to the lake with her to repair and pick up the tractor. So Felicity asked Thea to take care of the horse and followed her aunt. On the way to the car she turned around and waved slightly at him with a smile on her face.

* * *

In the afternoon Moira wanted to spend time with her children again, so Oliver had suggested another walk. He wasn't in the mood for another female-activity like shopping. The others had liked the idea, so they followed the drive way towards the road. They wanted to go to the lake because his mother was curious where they had been without her. They walked for an hour until they arrived at their destination. Thea got out of her clothes immediately and went into the water in her underwear because they didn't bring any swimwear. Meanwhile Moira and Oliver sat down at the shore. He got rid of his shoes and socks, then he put his feet into the water.

For a while they sat in silence and watched the young Girl until his mother broke the silence. They talked about their holiday, the lake and so much more. When his mother subtly mentioned Girls Oliver had immediately a picture in his mind but he didn't reply anything. Although he expected a different reaction she seemed to be understanding. Then Moira put off her shoes too, got up and went into the water with her feet. Oliver watched her curiously because he hadn't seen her doing something like that in a long time. It probably had been at a beach holiday many years ago.

Everything had changed during the last days. They had left the city behind, everyone of them could walk around freely and do whatever they wanted. They weren't under the microscope of the tabloids 24 hours. So he enjoyed the time he spent with his family. After a while Moira sat down on the shore again and Thea accompanied her who had to dry in the sun. Meanwhile Oliver got out of his clothes and started to swim in his boxers. It wasn't the same all by himself, so he left the water quickly after a few rounds and laid down beside his sister.

When they were completely dried they decided it was time to return to the farm. So they got dressed while Moira suggested to walk back over the fields. Oliver wasn't sure if he remembered the way but they found it in the end.

* * *

Oliver couldn't sleep that night. He turned around in bed often, but nothing helped. The clock on the nightstand showed 3 AM. So he was turning around for 5 hours, although he just wanted to sleep. Then he remembered Raisa's secret recipe for sleepless nights. A glass of cold milk. Because of that he went down to the kitchen, poured himself a glass and sat down at the table. After a few sips the glass was nearly empty and he just drank the rest when the light was switched on. Somehow he wasn't really surprised to see her.

"You're up?" She asked him.

"I can't sleep." He replied. "What's your excuse?"

"I wanted to improve a code, I've been working on for a while now and I totally lost the track of time. Now my eyes are burning from the screen-work and I just need to relax a little. Actually I shall already be sleeping because it will be an early morning today, but..." A yawn escaped her mouth and she didn't continue afterwards. Instead she went to the fridge and got the milk. Then Felicity took a package of cookies as well as a glass out of the cupboard and placed them on the table between Oliver and herself. "You want another shot?" She held the jar over his glass and filled it up when he nodded before she filled her own glass.

"You understand code?" Oliver asked when she sat down opposite of him.

"Yeah. I want to study computer sciences." Immediately he noticed a look on her face which he hadn't seen before. "What do you want to do after school?"

"I don't know, but I probably have to follow my father someday. He is the CEO of Queen Consolidated a tech..." Oliver couldn't say more because she interrupted him.

"Queen Consolidated?" Felicity exclaimed and stopped the cookie she held in her hand midway to her mouth. "I've red so much about it. It's like... I don't know... An inspiration. All the developments. Actually the laptop I'll hopefully buy after the summer is a product of that company. And they are host of the tech-fair in Starling City at the end of the summer where newcomer can present their work. I would love to be there." Finally she bit in the cookie and started to talk and chew at the same time. "I didn't know you're the _Queens_. I just haven't thought about it. Although I think I've seen you on a picture before, now that I know." Parts of the cookie landed on the table while she spoke enthusiastically about his father's company. It was such a cute thing. Suddenly he noticed a burning in his cheeks..

"I don't know much about tech-stuff, but my parents are already talking about the economics-study which I shall start after high school, but I'm not really interested in that or the company yet." That moment he wanted to know more about his parents work because then he could talk about it with her. Mostly Oliver didn't want that meeting to end. "Would you like to watch a movie or listen to some music?" He asked her and looked at her curiously.

"Actually I have to go to bed like I told you before." Oliver was disappointed although he knew she was right. He should probably return to his room too even if he was sure he wouldn't sleep at all. "Forget about it. I'm young. Sleep is overrated." She smiled at him. "Which movie do you want to watch?"

"Something that's on TV?!" Oliver scratched the back of his head when he continued and looked down at the table. "I haven't brought any movies, but we could listen to some music which I actually have." He lifted his gaze and waited for her reply. At first she just grinned.

"We can watch a movie from Amber or we can listen to music. I don't care. I just know that I'm completely awake and I won't fall asleep if I lay down now." Her grin turned into a smile before she got up. "Come on. Let's choose a movie." Felicity took his hand. Immediately he wondered if she did it consciously or unconsciously, but it didn't matter because he just enjoyed the connection between them. He squeezed her hand a little bit more and she returned the gesture. They entered the living room and walked towards the shelve with the DVDs. "Science-Fiction?" Oliver just shook his head.

"I hate it. Tommy drags me into all this weird movies and I don't understand them." He told her.

"Okay. No science-fiction then." Felicity let her gaze wander over the content of the shelve. "I can't imagine you to be the guy for a romantic comedy." For a moment she looked at him. "No definitely no girl-movies." While Oliver wondered what she had seen on his face she returned her attention to the movies. " _Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets_? We've watched the first part, so we can watch the second part too. Right?"

"That's a good choice." Oliver replied.

"Turn the DVD on, I get the cookies and something to drink." Felicity stated and returned to the kitchen. Meanwhile he did as she had told him.

When she returned she placed a bottle of lemonade, two glasses and the cookies on the coffee table before she sat down at his side. Then she pressed the play-button on the remote and the known melody started. Felicity pulled her feet up on the couch and lent slightly towards him. She didn't touch him but there wasn't much space between them. Oliver could smell her and he liked that like the feeling of her by his side. He didn't pay much attention to the movie, he was too focused on her presence. Because of that he immediately noticed when her head sank down for the first time before she pulled it up again. That happened a few more times until she fell asleep completely and sank down into his side. Oliver waited a few more minutes before he laid his arm around her and played with a loose strand of her hair. Although his eyelids became heavy too he didn't want to sleep at all. Then she snuggled up even more into him and he couldn't move without waking her up, so he sat completely still, watched the movie and waited for the morning to come.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** Reviews, favourites and follower are always appreciated. :)


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